Me: WHOOPS! There was no author's note for the last one! Oooooops! Anyways, read and review guys!
Roma: *waves* Arigato!
Emerald's POV
I frowned.
"The controls are jammed?" I repeated slowly. My eyes flicked over to my companion as he leaned back.
"Guess we'll be stuck here for a while," he muttered, staring at the ceiling. My eyes wandered to the beautiful view below us again, not concerned. More time with Matt? I'd take it any day. I focused on the glass, which acted as a sort of mirror. Matt was watching me again. I'd caught him just flat starting at me a couple times over the past week or so and, while I loved the attention, I had to wonder what was going on in that brain of his.
"You must really like my eyes to be staring at me so much," I teased, turning to look over at him. Matt froze, his blue eyes meeting my red ones. Then he seemed to regain his words.
"Well, with that," he paused, staring into my eyes, "unique eye color, how could I not, Em? Although, I could ask the same of you, staring at me," he commented. I felt some heat rise to my face.
"I can't help it I think your eyes are pretty," I said offhandedly. His eyes widened and I looked quickly back out the window, mentally cursing him with every colorful word in my arsenal, English and German alike. Stupid, Harmonia, STUPID! Why don't you just tell him straight off you love him?! There was an awkward silence in which I tried to avoid his eyes and he tried to come up with a response to my rather stalkerish comment.
"I, um, er, uh-" He cut himself off and paused. He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. I looked over at him despite myself, my chin resting on my palm. He gave me a genuine smile. "Thanks, Em." He then did something I couldn't have expected in a thousand years: he poked my nose. I shook my head instinctively and my hair whipped around my face. He withdrew his hand quickly, his expression giving away that he'd not thought about that before he did it.
"S-sorry, w-wasn't thinking there," Matt said, laughing nervously. I shook my head.
"No, it's fine. Don't worry about it." I'm such a hypocrite; I told him not to worry about it, yet I was analyzing every bit of his behavior previous to the small, affectionate gesture to try and figure out what it may have meant to him. When I couldn't seem to recall anything, I thought back further and realized with a jolt that I hadn't slept in about...50 hours? Just the thought of being up so long made my eyelids feel heavy. My eyes fluttered shut, but I shook my head quickly, shaking myself back awake. Matt raised an eyebrow at me.
"Tired, Em?" He asked. I nodded and covered my mouth with my hand to stifle a yawn. He chuckled and eyed me humorously.
"Well, seeing as my estimate would be...mm, around 50 hours since I last slept, I'm bound to be pretty tired," I intoned dryly. His eyes widened.
"And you're still awake?!" he asked incredulously. I nodded.
"My record is a week. I think. I can't remember much about that mission," I trailed off. That was my least favorite mission. I had to massacre a workplace meeting to get my pay for the job. Jerking me out of my thoughts, he whistled sharply.
"A week? Dang. I knew you were an insomniac, but I didn't know it was that bad, Em," he said. I shrugged it off.
"Eh, it's fine." No, it's not. I'm afraid to wake up in the morning because of what I see at night. "Just night terrors." I see the faces of people I've murdered over and over again, and I hear their last words echo through my brain as if they were just spoken. "I can manage it." I've taken off work for days at a time because my nightmares terrify me so badly I can't hold my gun straight. "You don't need to worry about me." That part was true. I've caused him enough trouble.
"Night terrors?" His voice was soft and my eyes flicked to meet his. His brow was creased with worry and it shot a pang through my heart. Good going. Try to spare him, you make him worry more. Gooood job, I spat at myself.
"Tell me about it." I let out an uneasy noise and looked away. Tell Matt about my nightmares? How about no?
He turned my head so I was facing him. My breath seized up when his cold fingers made contact with my slightly feverish skin and I felt a chill run down my spine. He tilted my chin so that I was looking him in the eye. He had the most intense look of concern written on his face I'd ever seen. I shook my head.
"Emerald, I want to help. Tell me how," he pleaded. I shook my head again, more insistent, but still not able to form words. His eyes stayed with mine. I felt an urge to pull away, and a stronger urge to lean forward and press my lips against his. He was wrecking my defense system, molding it, and thus my emotions, like putty. He had too much control over me for me to normally be comfortable with. If it were anyone else, I'd shut them out, act cold to drive them away, and regain my composure. And I'd tried; believe me, I'd tried my best. But, somehow, he always found a way back into my thoughts and, before I knew it, I'd succumbed to the fact that...well...I was in love with him. It wasn't like in a fairy tale, where the princess just knew. Oh no, nothing as simple as that. In my mind, he was constantly playing jump rope with the fine line between love and hate. But, at that moment, love won out, and I cracked.
"F-faces. And voices. Their voices. And names, so many names, so, so many names," I choked out. He tilted his head at me, confused. I took a shuddering breath, realizing for the first time that I was shaking. He let go and just looked at me.
"Keep going," he said softly, his tone imbued with a hint of caring lullaby. Then again, that could've been my imagination. I opened my mouth, planning to summarize, but the look in his eyes made me break down. The words came tumbling out of my mouth; I couldn't have stopped if I'd tried. He didn't say anything, just listened, sometimes grimacing at the gory parts. Sometime during my telling, I'd started to cry, and, for once in my life, I didn't try to stop it. It was as if my mind went completely blank, and I was a young girl again, crying to my mama about an abusive Trainer I'd seen beating his Pokemon. When I finally regained my rational thought process, I shut my mouth and focused on breathing, calming down.
"I-I'm sorry, I just..I couldn't keep control," I choked out. I wiped the tears off my face, my breathing having slowed down again. He shook his head.
"You don't have to, as long as I'm here. You can tell me anything, Em." I sniffled and looked up at him. As much as there were things that frustrated me about Matt, I knew he'd always be there for me. He'd proven that much already, hadn't he? He smiled, as if reading my mind, and took my hand in his. The affectionate gesture was too much for my fragile emotions to handle at the moment: I jolted forward and wrapped my arms around his neck, resting my chin on his shoulder with a soft sob. He froze up for a second before his arm encircled my waist. He hesitantly ran shaking fingers through my hair. I didn't normally like things like that, but then again, I didn't normally go crying in front of anyone either.
"Do you remember back when we were kids, and we'd first met?" Matt murmured in my ear. I nodded.
"Funny how things work out," I whispered back.
Before we were really acquainted, Matt and I pretty much had a solid hate for each other. He'd been the one that told me I couldn't see Father right away; something I'd already known, of course, but hated to hear anyways. So I'd punched him and stormed in, desperate to find Father and tell him who I was. I'd been recruited then and there for my spark, and I quickly became a favorite among the Sages. Of course, not all of them could handle my excessive energy and ideas (Zinzolin had requested several times that they just forget about me and leave me out on the streets, but it never happened), but that was a talent few possessed. And it just so happened that he possessed it.
Matt and I were formally introduced by Rood, the calmest of the Seven. A stiff, awkward handshake ensued, with him mumbling something about a need for revenge. I'd smirked, which further infuriated him, to the point of him lashing out at me. That set me off, and I'd lunged at him, hissing and slashing, to the point that Ghetsis himself had to be brought in to separate us. He'd given us a firm tongue lashing and, for the most part, we'd stayed out of each other's ways after that.
"You beat me up within a week of your recruitment. If Ghetsis hadn't been there, you'd've killed me for sure," Matt chuckled, his breath warm against my neck. I smiled.
"No, you're tougher than that. You fought back. And don't forget those Venipede."
"Oh, yeah. The day we first actually became friends." he said fondly.
I'd been stupid. That was the only explanation. I'd gone to the Dreamyard on my first Plasma mission. I'd been careless, stupid really, and left without a single Pokémon. I'd just gotten to the Dreamyard when a group of Venipede had appeared. I'd no defense and was quickly beaten by the insects. The toxins from their stings invaded my bloodstream, affected my mental processes; I fought against myself to hold onto any sanity I could salvage.
I was very nearly comatose, if not dead, when he came to my rescue. He'd thought ahead enough to bring his Pokémon, a Patrat and a Pidove. He'd commanded them to take care of the Venipede, and they obeyed, blowing the insects off the map with their power. He took care of me, brought me back to the castle, and handed me off to Anthea and Concordia. I got hashed out by Ghetsis the day I got back. I'd been expecting it, and ignored all but his sternest commands. But Matt never said anything about it.
I couldn't stand to look at the selfless boy who'd saved my life, the one I clearly remembered beating up after a harmless comment. I made a point to avoid the boy, going out of my way to not meet up with him. I had so many emotions associated with him: hate, a need to repay, a bit of admiration, and, yes, love. The last one scared me out of my mind, and I had to have time to think before I confronted him about it. Unfortunately, I had training sessions; so did he. We were pitted against each other n a battle, using our own Pokemon, if we had an. I had a tiny Tepig who needed experience and a baby Zorua, newly hatched. I used both, and he used the Pokemon used to save me.
"Don't you dare go easy on me!" He'd shouted across the field.
"Alright. Don't say you went easy on me when you lose," I'd responded icily. That had hurt his pride, and he started off. The battle was over in a matter of minutes; I'd completely destroyed his team, both my Pokemon learning a new move in the process. After the battle, my eyes had met his shining blue ones, ones that were still sparkling with excitement, even though he'd been obliterated. I'd experienced two new emotions in that exact moment: guilt and regret. Here this selfless boy had risked his own life to save mine, and I'd repaid that by beating him mercilessly. I clenched my jaw; the feeling wasn't familiar, I didn't like it, and I would do anything to make it go away. I stalked up to him, bringing the attention of his comrades and himself to me. I swallowed hard.
"I-I just wanted to say thanks," I'd said, casting my gaze to the ground.
"Thanks?" he'd asked, sounding confused. I looked back up at him; surely, he hadn't forgotten!
"For the Venipede," I'd said. His eyes widened as he realized what I meant, and he'd laughed.
"Right! Oh, that was nothing, really. Don't mention it," he'd said generously. He grinned and stuck out his hand.
"Matt. Legally, Matthew Wattson, but call me Matt." My eyes met his and my heart rate sped up. I searched for something, anything, to say.
"Nice to meet you, Matty."
"I remember it like it was yesterday," Matt murmured, pulling me out of my thoughts. I nodded.
"But, it's been about ten years now, hasn't it?" I asked, pulling away. He frowned, then shook his head slightly as if to clear his thoughts. He refocused on me and nodded.
"Unless my calendar's wrong, yeah," he said. I raised an eyebrow humorously. His eyes widened as he realized his mistake. "Not that I've got it on my calendar, I mean, psht, no, of course not," he said unconvincingly.
"So, you just remembered, after all these years?" I asked with a small smile, tilting my head to the side.
"What? I mean, no, wait, yes, no wait-" He tripped over his words and I grinned. He slapped a hand over his mouth and blushed, looking over at me. My grin softened to a gentle smile.
"Don't worry about it," I said. I shifted around so that I was sitting close to him and laid my head on his shoulder. I closed my eyes.
"I think it's sweet," I said, relaxing.
"R-really?" Matt's voice came out as little more than a squeak and he coughed to cover it up. I opened my eyes and looked at him. A smile graced my face.
"Uh-huh." I leaned up a little bit and kissed his cheek. "Always remember you're a sweetheart, won't you?" I murmured in his ear. Then I settled back down and closed my eyes. I'm in love with a hopeless romantic. I chuckled and smiled. I could have done much worse than Matt.
Eve's POV
I opened one eye. It had started to get kind of dark when I heard the human footsteps. This wouldn't have been remarkable, had the footsteps not been a two set and the smell hadn't been so familiar. I sat up again and squinted, just able to make out two people.
"I don't see anyone. I wonder if something happened," A female voice said. My ears perked up. Female voice that sounded slightly like Eva. If Eva was done with her Gym challenge, Roma should have been back ages ago! I stood and padded softly over to Stormer, who had ceased his project a while ago and curled up around it.
"Stormer," I whispered, nudging him with my nose. He opened one bright blue eye to look at me, then opened the other one and got to his paws. I cast my gaze towards the human figures getting progressively bigger as they approached us. He followed my line of gaze and automatically went on high alert. He stepped out in front of me, a rumble coming from deep in his throat. Then he stiffened and sniffed the air curiously.
"Eva!" Stormer's face broke into a puppy dog grin as he ran the way to Roma's partners, yipping and jumping into Eva's arms. I heard a shout of surprise and a giggle of glee after that, and padded my way over to the couple. Eva was giggling like a schoolgirl with one eye closed, holding Stormer out in front of her as he licked her face, yipping playfully all the while.
"It's nice to see you, too, Stormer! Where's Roma?" she asked, setting him down and crouching in front of him.
"Mistress? Not sure. I thought you had her with you!" he barked. Eva furrowed her brow and looked over at Chili, who'd crouched down as well. He shrugged.
"No translator? I can fix that!" I heard a cheerful voice say. My ears perked up and, almost before I knew what was happening, I was flying towards my silver-haired princess, singing my adoration for her and jumping into her arms like a puppy. Stormer had quickly followed suit, catapulting himself at her with a howl of joy. She caught both of us and stumbled backwards slightly, laughing. She kissed both of us on the tops of our heads, and Stormer licked her face. I climbed to my normal perch on her shoulder and rubbed my cheek against her affectionately.
"Sorry we're so late, guys! The Ferris Wheel broke down and we got stuck for a while," Roma apologized quickly. Eva brushed it off and Chili grinned suggestively.
"So, the Ferris Wheel broke down, huh?" he said, nudging his blue-haired brother in the side. Cress blushed and shoved Chili lightly.
"Cilan called, he said he has the room already, with accommodations for our "chaperons"," he said, putting air quotes around chaperons, representing Emerald and Matt. Roma grinned and planted a kiss on Cress's cheek before turning her attention to Eva.
"So? How'd it go?" she asked eagerly. Roma was just as excited about Eva's Gym Battle as Eva was; she was sure that if Eva could do it on the first try, she could as well. In response, Eva grinned and dug out a metal case from her Bag. She snapped it open, revealing one less spot for a Gym Badge to fit in.
"I got the Bolt Badge!" Eva sang, throwing her fist in the air. Roma cheered and they slapped a high five. Roma pulled a fist down in front of her chest, her ocean eyes sparking with enthusiasm.
"Elesa better bring her A-game again tomorrow, 'cause she's got a battle with a princess!" Roma declared. Eva grinned and both triplet boys laughed. I wagged my tail and gave Roma an Eevee grin.
"We'll beat her for sure. You are using me, right?" I asked. She nodded and patted my head. Then she looked around, confused.
"Where's Matt and Emerald? I don't see them anywhere..." she trailed off, squinting to see in the darkened background. I sniffed the air for their definitive scents: burning wood for Emerald, and a sort of earthy scent for Matt. Everyone had started searching at that point. Roma suddenly stopped, a laugh escaping her lips. Eva looked up, puzzled.
"What'sup?" she asked. Roma smiled and shook her head.
"And here I thought they were supposed to be looking after us!" she exclaimed with a a laugh. Eva chuckled as well, then they both went back to it. Stormer and I hopped down, our noses to the ground for any scent. Stormer picked up something and pointed me in the direction of it.
"Look. There," he whispered, pointing to Roma's left with his nose. Sure enough, there was a green haired demon and her black haired boyfriend sneaking up behind the teenagers. I looked at Stormer and shook my head.
"Keep it quiet. We don't want them knowing," I said mischievously. Stormer grinned, his bright blue eyes twinkling with mischief. We padded silently forward, wanting a clear view of what happened next. The green haired demon signaled for Matt to stop, and continued creeping towards an unsuspecting Roma. Roma stood and looked around, the instant before which the demon had blended with her surroundings. Roma frowned, creasing her brow, then strode back to her groupies. Emerald snuck, ninja-like, towards my silver-haired princess and paused a few feet from her. She grinned, exposing her teeth, and jolted forward suddenly, tickling Roma's sides.
Roma let out a sharp squeal and jumped a good four feet before whirling around and shouting profanities at Emerald. The demon laughed heartily and Stormer and I were rolling on the ground, laughing as well. Roma crossed her arms over her chest angrily and spat but a few more profanities before sticking her tongue out at Emerald. The demon grinned and cast a glance our way. She motioned at us.
"See, you're gettin' mad at me, but your Eevees are laughing, too!" she accused with an only half guilty smile on her face. Roma looked at us, hurt, but her eyes betrayed that it was all fine.
"You guys are mean!" she pouted.
"C'mon Roma, you can't deny that was funny," Eva spluttered out through a laugh. Roma huffed, but her expression softened and she let a smile twitch at the corners of her mouth.
"Oh, fine. Whatever. I don't even care anymore!" she exclaimed dramatically, throwing her hands into the air. A stray laugh escaped Emerald's mouth and Matt was having a bit of trouble hiding a grin of his own. He threw his arm around Emerald's shoulders.
"C'mon, I'm sure Cilan's about had a heart attack since we're so late. Emerald and I have gotta go check in with Ghetsis anyways. Let's get moving," Matt proded. I jumped into Roma's arm, then to her shoulder, and Stormer took her other shoulder, with the new Egg occupying her arms. Roma whined at him good-naturedly before all agreed and we started back towards the Poke Center.
Me: ONLY A FEW DAYS LATE! DON'T KILL ME! PLEASE!
Roma: Review, guys!
